


among the stars

by CallicoKitten



Category: Arthurian Mythology, Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space Opera, Gen, Multi, Space Pirates, everyone makes poor decisions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-03
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-05-17 22:52:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5888353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CallicoKitten/pseuds/CallicoKitten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>arthur was born on earth. to some people, that mattered.</p><p>-</p><p>in which merlin is an AI with a secret, guinivere is a space pirate that goes by gwin, lancelot is a halfway decent pilot and arthur is a human disaster as always</p>
            </blockquote>





	among the stars

**Author's Note:**

> so one of my new years resolutions was to finish an original story and one of the ways i figured i could help myself towards that goal was by posting one piece each month. so this is, um, last months. close enough, right?
> 
> that being said, any feedback you guys have on _anything_ would be appreciated and if you by some miracle really like this share it maybe?
> 
> this is by no means the final version of this chapter, i'll definitely be reworking this. well, i hope so anyway. so there are bound to be spelling errors e v e r y w h e r e

Arthur was born on Earth. To some people, that mattered.

They were rare amongst the galaxy these days, the Earth-Born.  The planet hadn't been habitable since Arthur's youth and even then, it was only habitable in the loosest of senses. The surface was scorched and the atmosphere was only made breathable by the regulators in the airborne cities that he'd grown up on. To Arthur, all being Earth-Born meant was that he grew up spending his days on the surface, picking through wrecks and his evenings missing the solid ground.

To others though, it made him exciting and exotic. There were worlds where all he had to do was flash the little ID code on his wrist and people would bend over backwards to accommodate him. Lavish meals, top shelf items, free repairs and the softest beds they had. It was great. Until he inevitably outstayed his welcome. Lance, his pilot, blamed those occurrences on Arthur's personality; Arthur wasn't sure where he stood on that particular issue.

The problem was, it never seemed to matter when it could be useful. Like now, for instance, while he was being chased by very angry (probably armed) men.

(Something whizzed past his ear, accompanied by the whine of an energy gun. Definitely armed.)

It was like this:

Arthur's ship, the Monmouth, had broken down on the job. They'd been dropping off supplies to a few outlying colonies for the Allied Federation. It wasn't the most thrilling of jobs but it was honest work and it paid fairly well. The ALC-drive had gotten fried on their last jump. Arthur had known it was on its way out but he assumed it would at least have the decency to explode somewhere a little less remote than _Mersion_. (Which, in Arthur's opinion, was less of a planet and more of a backwater, barely habitable moon.)

It lay on the outskirts of the galaxy, the edge of Celestial territory. It wasn't the kind of planet Arthur could imagine anyone living on willingly but for some reason, centuries ago, a group of colonists had landed here and made it their home. There had been mines here once, Arthur knew, but now, whatever ores and metals had lain under the surface were few and far between and most of the mines lay empty.

It was a wonder people still lived there, the Allied Fedaration should have relocated them years ago before Dukes and his gang had taken over. Theirs was a people smuggling business, taking kids families couldn't afford to feed and selling them on Legba to rich folk looking for cheap labour. If the kids were lucky, that is. They had an exotic look about them, Mersians, dark skin and white blonde hair, and Arthur was willing to bet there were more than a few out there who'd pay a pretty penny for one of their own.

As it stood, the Allied Fed was too much of a mess to be much help to anyone. Planets like Mersion suffered in silence while people like Dukes profited and took possession of anything of value. Which is precisely why Arthur was creeping about his estate.

Governor Dukes, as he had styled himself, had quite the collection of ship parts, the only ALC drives on the planet and he wasn't exactly willing to part with them. He'd tried to be reasonable about it, had tried to barter and sweet talk his way into a deal but Dukes had been absolute. He wouldn't sell Arthur an ALC drive, not for anything Arthur had to offer. It'd work out much better for Dukes if Arthur found himself stranded and could be done away with quickly.

Sadly for Dukes though, Arthur wasn't really interested in having his throat slit and his ship scrapped for parts.

Arthur kept low as he crept out of Duke's base, the new ALC-drive tucked safely under his arm. If he got out without being seen it would be a thirty minute walk to where the Monmouth waited, in a deep ravine through a small valley. Ten if he ran.

Arthur hoped he wouldn't have to run. He'd had quite enough strenuous exercise for one day thank you very much and besides, he'd left their last working gun with Lance in case he needed to defend the ship. He couldn't really afford to be seen.

"Merlin," he whispered and the con device on his wrist lit up in response. "Scan the area, quietly. Plot me a route out."

Merlin buzzes in response and in a matter of seconds a map of Duke's compound flickers up on the tiny screen, the people he needed to avoid clearly marked with little orange dots. Merlin's suggested path was highlighted in yellow and accompanied with a cheery: _do try not to get yourself killed._ Arthur grinned. Merlin was the kind of AI the AF had banned almost a century ago. Nowadays, AI's weren't allowed personality.

He kept close to the walls as he made his way to Merlin's suggested exit, skirting around doorways and ducking behind shelves. It was almost fun. He was picking his way gingerly through some sort of storage space when he spotted them, glowing in the dim light.

Cancrie diamonds.

Even a _single_ diamond would be enough to ensure he'd never have to work again. No more AF contracts, no more running errands, no more getting screwed over by snotty business men.

Arthur paused and weighed up his options. On his wrist, Merlin buzzed insistently.

If he left without the gems it would be business as usual. He and Lance would head back to the Albion System, straight to Rosmerta to pick up their payment and on to find more work. Back to the endless cycle they'd fallen into and never quite managed to break out of. Maybe they'd stop at Legba on the way, maybe they'd earn enough to fix up the Monmouth properly, maybe their employers would claim they were late or that the goods had arrived damaged - anything to get them out of paying.

If he took them, though, things would change. It would be easy, he was near enough to Merlin's suggested exit that he was certain he'd make it, stones in hand. A ten minute journey to the ship if he ran, five to install the new ALC drive, an hour to make the jump to Legba. They'd be home free, no way Duke's ships would be able to follow them and even if they _did,_ they'd arrive far too late to get their gems back. There would be more than a few buyers on Legba, Arthur already had a pair in mind.

The gems would be sold on and no one would be able to trace them back to him, no one would care to past a point. He'd be _rich._ He could probably come back and buy Mersion, raze it to the ground and get its citizens proper homes.

Or, he could buy a nicer planet, somewhere in Traxon system, a nice, hot one.

So, really, it would be irresponsible _not_ to take the gems, right?

That had been Arthur's thought process, anyway. He'd snatched up the gems only to set off every alarm in the building. It was a wonder he hadn't considered that eventuality. (Merlin would never let him live it down.)

"MERLIN!" He yelled, as he ran. "Open the bay doors!"

He could see the Monmouth now, just over the next ridge.

"Made friends, I see?" The AI drawled but it bleeped and Arthur heard the doors groan open.

 _Almost there,_ he thought. _Almost there, just a few more steps._

Another burst brushed past him, catching his shoulder this time and he winced. The jewels were worth it, he told himself. _So_ worth it.

That was when he heard the engines. A little way behind him, from the town probably. _Stars,_ he really hadn't thought this through.

He fell through the doors into his ship panting and breathless, "Go Lance!" he yelled, as he scrambled through the ship. "GO!"

Lance had been lounging in the pilot's chair, feet up on the dash but as soon as Arthur burst into cockpit he leapt into action, "Gods, Art, I thought you said you'd be quiet about it!"

"I _was,_ " Arthur insisted, pulling the ALC-Drive out of his coat. He slid himself under the control panel and stared blankly, "Uh, Merlin?"

The AI sighed, "Downloading the instructions to your cons."

"They're following us, Arthur," Lance said, as they took off.

"Yes, Lance, I was aware of that, thanks," Arthur muttered, scanning through the instructions Merlin had sent to his con. He reached up and pulled out the old drive gingerly.

"They musta really not wanted you to have that drive," Lance said, a note of urgency curling through his tone. The Monmouth's radar systems were going haywire."They've got ships, Arthur. Two of 'em. We need to get out of here."

"One _moment._ "

"They appear to have guns," Merlin added, helpfully.

"I will _uninstall_ you," Arthur snarled. The drive clicked in to place and hummed to life. "Done!"

Lance let out a sigh of relief, "Thank krud for that! Alright, readying the jump. Where're we headed?"

"Legba," Arthur said, lifting himself into the co-pilot's chair.

" _Legba?_ Can't that wait? We should go to Rosmerta, get paid."

Arthur shook his head, "Can't go to Rosmerta carrying these." He pulled out the handful of gems they'd snatched.

Lance glanced down at them as they left Mersion's atmosphere, Duke's ships still on their tail. "Those aren't what I think they are, are they?"

Arthur stowed the gems safely back in his pocket, "They kind of are," he said, sheepishly.

Merlin hummed, "Should I chart a jump course to Legba then?"

"You better, Merlin," Lance agreed, with a reproachful look at Arthur.

"Oh, don't look at me like that. You'd have done the same."

"Well, maybe," Lance agreed. "But I would have done it _without_ getting shot at. Now, hold on. This new drive might not run as smooth as the old one."

"Right, because the old one ran so _smoothly_ ," Arthur muttered.

\---

In her cell, Gwin sat back on her knees, head tilted up towards the ceiling. She was trying to ascertain just how high the walls of her prison were but it was almost pitch black and she could see nothing. For all she knew, the ceiling could be just out of reach if she stood upand stretched out.

This whole mess was her fault; she was man enough to admit that. She'd screwed over people she knew not to screw with and they'd screwed her right back.

It was a round room, her cell, the walls far enough apart to ensure she wouldn't be trying any acrobatic stunts to get out. Not that she'd ever had any skill in that particular field, that was always more Jinn's area of expertise. What Gwin wouldn't give to have Jinn by her side now. Or Bracken, or Wat, or Janey. Any of them, really but that wasn't possible.

Jinn was dead. They all were.

Gale and Haunt had killed her crew and taken her ship. _The Princess_ was being stripped for parts while her crew lay dead in some corner.

Part of her wanted to crumble, wanted to give in to the grief lingering at the edges of her mind, but there would be time to grieve later. Now, she needed to concentrate on escaping. Her best bet would be to wait until Haunt sent his lackeys in to fetch her, there were many across the galaxy who'd pay a pretty price for the chance to take her head, or worse. Haunt wouldn't let an opportunity like that go to waste.

But waiting was not something Gwin excelled at. There had to be _some_ way out of this place and she would find it.

Until very recently, Gwin had the honour of calling herself the Captain of _The Princess_ , once her father's ship, scourge of the Allied Federation's Space. Sure, there were those who said she'd only been named Captain for her father's sake, that she'd risen up out of his legend alone and done nothing herself to earn the title but they couldn't be more wrong. Gwin had started at the bottom, like they all had; scrubbing decks and keeping vents clear. She'd earned her reputation through hard work and damn good thievery so that when her father was finally caught his crew elected her as their next leader, fair and square.

She'd prided herself on making good calls. Then she'd gotten greedy.

She'd make her way out of this, she was certain.

\---

They called Legba the crossroads planet.

It lay between the Albion and Gallia systems, orbiting its own sun. Technically, it was part of the Federation, but no one was quite willing to take responsibility for it. It was less lawless than border planets like Mersion, it had its own slightly dubious set of laws and morals. A haven for rogue AI's and modders, escaped slaves from the wealthier systems, exiles, escaped criminals and worse.

It was the perfect place to sell his stolen gems; Lance had already picked out some perspective buyers: Gale and Haunt. They'd had dealings with them in the past, the two practically ran the biggest city on Legba, Midnight, from behind the scenes of course. They had their hands in everything, trafficking of all kinds, assassins' guilds and cartels. But they had always done right by Arthur and Lance, they were as good a buyer as any.

But Legba meant more to Arthur than that.

Lance set down the Monmouth in its usual place. It had been a while since they'd been there and Vera had come out to meet them. She stood, tall and blonde and pretty as ever on the landing strip, a fond smile on her face.

Arthur had known Vera nearly all his life. They'd grown up together on Earth; she was a few years older than him, his foster brother's best friend.

"I see you've managed to bring your ship back full of holes again," she noted, as the two disembarked.

"It's Arthur's winning personality," Lance said, before Arthur could say anything. "He makes friends easily."

"Oh, I'm well aware of that fact," Vera said, winking at Arthur. "I'll fix it up for you, don't worry about it. Will you be staying long?"

Arthur shook his head, "Don't worry, we'll be out of your hair soon enough. Kay around?"

"Yeah, where is that insufferable git?" Lance asked, peering around.

Vera jerked her head back towards the workshop, "He's in there and behave, you," she said nudging Lance. "Or we'll not feed you."

Lance gasped, "Whatever shall I do?"

"Starve probably," Arthur said. "I won't be bringing you scraps."

"You know," Lance said, "Sometimes I think Merlin is the only one who truly cares about me."

"Well," Merlin whispered, through their comms. "I wouldn't go that far."

Lance muttered something rude under his breath and reached up to switch off his comms. "How _rude_ ," Merlin said, in Arthur's ear. Arthur was about to reply when something very small and very fast thudded into him crying, "Uncle Arthur! Uncle Arthur!"

" _Gwenny_ ," Vera scolded, with a fond smile. "We've talked about this."

Gwenny looked up at her, wincing, "Sorry, Vera." She stepped back, releasing Arthur's legs from her surprisingly strong grip. "Sorry Arthur," she said, very solemnly.

She'd grown since Arthur had last seen her, almost coming up to his hip where before she'd been just above his knees. There was a lot of her mother in her, Arthur noticed, the dark hair and brown-green eyes. She had her father's unfortunate nose though; Arthur hoped she would grow into it.

"That's okay, Gwenny," he said.

Gwenny beamed and then turned to Vera, her expression clear: _see? **He** doesn't mind!_

Vera rolled her eyes, "Come on. We can't just stay out here all day."

Arthur smiled and swung Gwenny up into his arms. "Didja bring me anything, Arthur, huh? Did you?" she chirped. She'd picked up the broad twangs of a Legba accent, the long vowels and lazy rise and fall. When she was little and she'd not spent much time with anyone outside her family, her accent had been Old Earth London, through and through and Arthur found that he missed it. She'd been another little scrap of home and one of the few that didn't actively hate him.

"I did," he said, plodding after Lance and Vera.

She perked up, "What? What?"

"Stories, of course! Of our adventures!"

She swatted at him, "No, Uncle Art! That's not a present! You guys always tell me that stuff anyways!"

"Alright, alright," Arthur laughed. "I think we might have brought you something proper too."

She cheered and chattered on about the kinds of things he might have brought her, how it was her birthday in a few turns and she was turning five which, she hoped he agreed, was a Big Thing and deserved Big Presents. Arthur nodded along to her increasingly ridiculous suggestions for gifts as they passed through Kay's workshop into the family home.

It was smaller than it could be, a simple three bedroom bungalow with long, low windows and hard wood floors covered in rugs of all shapes, sizes and materials, but it was cosy and - aside from the Monmouth - it was Arthur's only home. He sighed when he stepped over the threshold and kicked off his shoes (earning him a rare look of approval from Kay.) The walls were lined with photos of Gwenny as a baby, Gwenny learning to walk, Gwenny's birthday parties. There were probably children out there in the galaxy with families three hundred times the size of Gwenny's but Arthur found it difficult to believe that there were children out there more loved.

Vera and Lance headed towards the kitchen, but Arthur deposited Gwenny and headed into the study, where he knew Kay would be waiting. "I need to speak to your daddy," he told Gwenny and reluctantly she nodded and scampered off.

"Anna around?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Kay shook his head, "Shipped out three months back. She said she spoke to you."

She had spoken to him. In fact, she'd probably spoken Arthur more than she'd spoken Kay during her latest tour. Anna captained a Federation exploration vessel and currently, she and Kay were fighting.

Arthur shrugged, "Monmouth's got patchy reception sometimes."

Kay snorted, "And Merlin has too?" He shook his head, "So, cut the fletcrap, Arthur. What are you _really_ doing here?"

"What?" Arthur exclaimed with an offended look, "Can't I just drop by to see my family with no ulterior motive?"

"Well, history would suggest _no_."

Arthur sighed; there was no point in lying to Kay. He'd find out sooner or later anyway. Lance was probably bragging about it to Vera right that moment. He leant forwards across the table, keeping his voice low, "Alright, alright, I got something worth selling."

"Of for - "Kay began, with a long suffering tone. "I _told_ you I didn't want anything like that around Gwenny."

"Look, I know, okay? I know. But this is different, Kay. This is too good an opportunity to pass up! _Cancrie diamonds_ , Kay! Enough to get you and Gwenny and Vera off this rock. Anna wouldn't have to work, you could move to Gaia or anywhere you wanted to - "

But Kay was shaking his head, "No, Arthur. Where the hell did you even get those things? You can't seriously think this'll work out!"

Arthur narrowed his eyes, Kay always brought the worst out in him. Always had, even as kids. That's why Lance hated him. "You're such a pessimist! If you just - "

"I _told you_ I didn't want you coming with things like that anymore!" Kay snapped. "It's _dangerous._ "

"We've been careful, Kay, I wouldn't have come if I thought it'd put you guys in danger - "

" _Careful?_ You've got blaster holes in your krudding hull!" Kay yelled. It was clear he was going to say more, probably launch into a lecture that Arthur had heard time and time again but from the doorway came a whimper and they both whipped around just in time to see Gwenny scurry away.

Kay sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "You've got to keep turning up like this. Either you straighten up or you stay away."

Arthur glowered, " _Fine._ "

"Good," Kay nodded. "Now I need to go and find my daughter." He pushed past Arthur, just hard enough to have him stumbling into the wall. Sometimes, Arthur thought Lance was right about Kay, he was just a sanctimonious jerk.

He'd send the money to Anna instead if Kay didn't want it, she'd understand. Arthur kicked Kay's desk for good measure and stalked out of the study in search of Lance.

"Come on," he muttered as soon as he located the pilot. "We should get a move on."

\---

 Midnight was a maze of ramshackle towers and narrow alleyways. Markets bustled down every street, loud and crowded and the air smelt hot and sickly, a mixture of foods and slowly rotting garbage. Arthur stalked through the tight streets, Lance close at his side.

Gale and Haunt owned a big old building in the centre of town, set back from the street, as they approached it a new putrid smell assaulted them. Arthur wrinkled his nose, "What in _the systems_ is that smell?"

Lance tapped on the shoulder, pointing upwards, "I think it might be that."

Arthur looked up. Gale and Haunt's building was surrounded by a high, wrought iron fence and all along the front of it hung bodies. Some fresh, some slopping to pieces in the planet's dry heat.

Arthur stared, "Well, that's new."

"Yeah, maybe we shouldn't do this," Lance said, tugging at Arthur's sleeve.

"You already called them," Arthur reminded him. "They already know we're here and, uh, I bet those guys were really awful people." In his pocket, Arthur clenched his hand around the gems. "We can't back out now."

\---

One of Haunt's men met them at the doorway, "Ah, Captain Pendragon, we've been expecting you. Been a while since we've seen you 'round here. How you been keeping?"

Arthur tried his best to look confident, "Well, thanks. Been busy, you know how it is."

"Still taking Federation contracts?" the man asked, as he guided them through the building. He was so casual with them that Arthur was sure they must have met before but try as he might he couldn't recall the man.

"Not often," Lance answered for him. "Only when the pays good."

Haunt's man raised an eyebrow at them but said nothing. It didn't look good that his pilot was answering for him and Lance knew that. He shot Arthur an apologetic look.

"You know, Mr Haunt's got some long haul work needs doing, if you're interested. Deliveries and pickups and the like."

"Sounds interesting," Arthur said. "I suppose we'll discuss that when we meet with him."

"Good luck to you," the man said cheerily, coming to a halt outside Haunt's office. "This is you then, lads." Arthur thanked the man, Lance did too and after taking a steadying breath he stepped into the room.

Arthur had always found Haunt's office disappointingly corporate. The carpet was a drab grey, the walls a dull white. There were no lavish artworks or menacing statues, just a few book shelves, filing cabinets, a desk and a handful of chairs.

The man himself sat behind the desk, his shirt rolled up the sleeves,  greying hair slicked back with oil. He sat forward when they entered, "Ah, Captain Pendragon. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"It has indeed, Haunt," Arthur said, holding out his hand.

Haunt shook it and indicated for them to sit, "So, I hear you've come into possession of some rather valuable gems."

Arthur nodded, keeping the gems clutched tightly in his hand.

"Cancrie? You know, it's illegal to mine there now. Has been for a very long time. They're hard to come by," Haunt said.

Arthur smiled, "Not so hard, if you know where to look."

"Can I see them then?"

Arthur drew one out and set it on the desk between them. It glowed faintly against the dark wood. Haunt reached out and picked it up gently, lifting it up to inspect, "Incredible," he murmured. "How many of these have you got?"

"Around thirty, all that size. Unmarked, easy to transport."

Haunt whistled, "You're sitting on a goldmine, boy." He typed something in to the con device on his wrist. "I'm assuming you'll be wanting the money up front before you show me the rest of the gems?"

Arthur nodded, "Sorry, Haunt. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just - well, you know how it is."

Haunt hummed and behind them, the door swung open. Haunt beckoned for whoever it was to come in. Someone with their money, Arthur assumed. It made sense that Haunt didn't keep it in here, it would be far too easy for someone to rob him, they hadn't even taken their weapons, which was strange now Arthur thought about it.

He turned around in his chair, looking back towards the doorway only to come face to face with the muzzle of an energy gun. "Uh," he said.

Haunt shrugged, "Sorry kid. It's not that I don't trust you it's just - " he grinned. "Well, you know."

"Stand up slowly," said the man who had lead them to Haunt's office. Unthinkingly, Arthur obeyed and a second man leant across and pulled the pistol out of his holster. He dropped Arthur's gun onto the desk, only to reach back and pull out the gems.

\---

Gwin hung back as one of Haunt's lackeys shoved the two men into the cell. There were only two reasons she could think of for Haunt to shove two more prisoners in with her. Either he was hoping that between the three of them they'd provide some entertainment for him or they really _did_ only have one cell. Gwin hoped it was the latter. Not that she didn't think she could _easily_ take these two newcomers if it came down to that, but because she'd much rather get out of this relatively unscathed.

In the dim light, Gwin couldn't make out much. The first man was stocky, that much she could tell. His dark hair was close cropped and he looked well muscled. He dressed simply in a tshirt and slightly loose fitting trousers and as soon as the guard had vanished and the door had slid shut, he slouched forwards, "This is all _your_ fault, you know," he barked, to his companion.

His companion was near a full head taller than him, skinnier too but Gwin was willing to bet that under the jumpsuit he wore he was all whipcord-muscle.  His skin was paler than the norm and his hair, a few shades lighter, a soft hazel colour. He wore it long, swept back in a messy ponytail, " _My_ fault?" he repeated, scandalized. "How in all the Systems is it _my_ fault?"

" _You_ said Gale and Haunt were our best bet!"

"No, Art, I said they were our _easiest_ bet! I wanted to get rid of the damn things before the feds caught up with us!"

'Art' had crossed his arms and was shaking his head vehemently.

" _Cancrie Diamonds,_ Arthur! Think about how many years they could give us for smuggling them!"

Cancrie Diamonds? Gwin's interest was piqued.

"We wouldn't have gotten caught, Lance! I told you, we should have - " but whatever they should have done would remain a mystery to Gwin because 'Art' stopped talking and shook his head. "Oh, whatever. Not like it matters much now, anyway."

'Lance' sighed, "I knew we should have left some of the gems back on the Monmouth."

"Well, you could have said that sooner!"

"It was your plan!"

"By the stars, Lance this wasn't my fault!"

Lance looked as though he was about to argue that point but he must have decided against it because he sighed again and kicked at the floor, "Whatever. We shouldn't argue. We should be focussing on how to get out of here."

Art crossed his arms, " _How?_ It looks kind of impossible from here."

"You'll think of something," Lance insisted. "You always do."

Gwin chose that moment to make her dramatic entrance. She stood fluidly and in one swift motion stepped out of the shadows, "I think," she said, as the two men stared at her. "That I might be able to help you there."

**Author's Note:**

> hit me up on [tumblr](http://paracosmss.tumblr.com/)
> 
> i am determined to at least finish and post this first part


End file.
